This is the Statue of Ashurbanipal in San Francisco! It was made by Assyrian artist Fred Parhad in 1988. Ashurbanipal was an Akkadian king, known as a patron of arts and culture, and thus was chosen as the subject for the sculpture at the San Francisco Civic Center.

The tablet reads (in Akkadian): “Peace unto heaven and earth / Peace unto countries and cities / Peace unto the dwellers in all lands / This is the statue presented to the City of San Francisco by the Assyrian people in the 210th year of America’s sovereignty.” I can’t find a good-quality image of the tablet’s cuneiform, or a version in transliteration, but if anyone has one, let me know below!